Where to Eat Breakfast in London
London breakfast covers an enormous range, from the classic Full English to modern brunch programmes, from grand brasserie mornings to the Turkish-British crossover kitchens up in Harringay. These twelve addresses map out the city's morning landscape.
The Full English (eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, black pudding) is still done with real seriousness across most of London. Alongside it sit the layers that make the city distinctive: the bistros of Marylebone, the grand hotel dining rooms of Mayfair, the farm-driven brunch of Notting Hill. Taken together, breakfast here is one of the most rewarding ways to start a day in London.
The Classic English Brasserie Line
London's classic all-day brasseries are the most established places to take breakfast. The four addresses in this section are the right doors for a proper English morning.
- 01
A classic Viennese-style all-day brasserie on Piccadilly. The Wolseley opens at half past seven, and its Full English is about as polished as the genre gets, served in a grand, café-society room. This is where the London establishment turns up for a weekday morning.
Visit venue → - 02
A modern all-day brasserie in Fitzrovia, with morning hours made for brunch. The room is generous and the menu contemporary, putting the Full English side by side with modern brunch staples.
Visit venue → - 03
Breakfast in the grand London tradition at Claridge's, the landmark townhouse hotel in Mayfair. Mornings in the foyer are a small choreography all their own: a classic Full English, fresh patisserie, a proper tea programme. The price is premium, but the room and the service earn it.
Visit venue → - 04
The morning programme at The Connaught, the grand townhouse hotel in Mayfair. This is the London breakfast tradition at its most assured, with a beautifully kept room and precise, attentive service.
Visit venue →
Marylebone and Notting Hill
Two of London's classic breakfast neighbourhoods: the local bistros of Marylebone and the modern brunch of Notting Hill. The four addresses here belong to those two corners of the city.
- 01
An organic café and farmshop in Notting Hill. Daylesford takes a farm-to-table view of breakfast, with its own vegetables, its own dairy and freshly baked bread. The busiest stretch runs from eight to ten in the morning.
Visit venue → - 02
A gastropub in Notting Hill with a settled morning brunch. The Cow has been a neighbourhood regular for years, built on a classic English composition and fresh seafood.
Visit venue → - 03
The café-brasserie of the Wallace Collection museum in Marylebone. Sitting in the museum courtyard makes for a singular London morning, paired with a classic English brunch programme.
Visit venue → - 04
A modern, no-borders Indian kitchen in Marylebone, where the morning brunch is built around layered, plural flavours. Jikoni is an inventive read on the breakfast side of London's many-cultured cooking.
Visit venue →
Turkish-British Crossover and Specialty Coffee
London's multicultural food scene shows up clearly on the breakfast map. The Turkish-British crossover spots, the Indian kitchens and the specialty coffee addresses form a distinct layer of their own.
- 01
A Turkish patisserie in Harringay, serving what may be the most established take on hot börek for breakfast anywhere in Britain. Antepliler is a central address in the morning rituals of London's Turkish community.
Visit venue → - 02
Turkish-Mediterranean breakfast in Harringay, built around a generous spread (serpme kahvaltı) and fresh-baked pastries. Gökyüzü has been a neighbourhood regular for years, and queues can form after ten.
Visit venue → - 03
A Southeastern Anatolian kitchen in Harringay, with a straightforward Turkish breakfast menu in the morning hours. Diyarbakır Restaurant is one of the morning regulars for London's Turkish community.
Visit venue → - 04
In the morning, Borough Market offers one of London's most established breakfast choreographies, with stalls of fresh bread, cheese and charcuterie. A market wander can begin around nine and run through to eleven.
Visit venue →
A London breakfast itinerary: one morning at a classic brasserie (The Wolseley), the next on the farm-driven side of Notting Hill (Daylesford), a third in Turkish Harringay (Antepliler or Gökyüzü), and a fourth wandering Borough Market. Four different tones, enough to show off London's plural breakfast culture.
The scene runs all year. Peak tourist season is high summer, July and August; the quieter stretches are February-March and September-October. As for timing, 08:00-09:00 suits the classic brasseries, while 10:00-11:30 is ideal for modern brunch.